A close relative attests to the couple’s backcountry experience as a common-law
According to Parks Canada, a grizzly bear attacked and murdered two individuals on Friday night in Banff National Park, just west of Sundre, Alberta.
According to a family member of one of the victims whose identity will remain anonymous until all relatives have been told, the two people who passed away were living together as common-law partners. The dog, which had been travelling with the couple, was also slain.
“They were long-term partners who loved the outdoors and were inseparable,” the relative said in a statement.
They were two of the most careful individuals I know, and they loved being in the wilderness. They were well-versed in this etiquette and adhered to it religiously.
A GPS tracker west of Ya Ha Tinda Ranch in the Red Deer River Valley sent an alarm to Parks Canada at 8 p.m. on Friday, indicating a bear attack, according to Natalie Fay, external relations manager for the Banff field unit of Parks Canada.
For twenty minutes, two grizzlies in Banff National Park followed a group of hikers down a trail.
Fay stated in a statement that a crew with expertise in dealing with wildlife attacks was quickly mobilised, however their response time was slowed by inclement weather.
“Weather conditions at the time did not allow for helicopter use, and the response team travelled through the night to the location by the ground,” she explained.
At 1:00 a.m., “the response team arrived on the scene and found two bodies.”
Fay claimed that while the reaction team was in the area, they came across an agitated grizzly bear, which prompted Parks Canada employees to kill the bear there and then.
She added that the RCMP came at the scene at 5 a.m. and took the victims to Sundre, Alberta.
According to the statement, “Parks Canada wishes to express its sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims” following the unfortunate occurrence.
Attacks by bears that result in death are uncommon.
According to Titchener, just 14% of grizzly bear attacks result in fatalities around the world.
Titchener remarked, “When people encounter grizzlies, the grizzly usually goes one direction, and the people usually go the other.”
“Therefore, it’s unusual for us to see cases in which we end up killing everyone involved.”
Titchener said she doesn’t know what happened, but that most bear attacks are the result of unexpected encounters. She also noted that bears are more active in the evening, so the pair may have been out trekking or preparing their campsite when they encountered the animal.
It’s possible that they unexpectedly came face-to-face with a bear, prompting the animal to launch a defensive attack. Predatory attacks by grizzly bears are exceedingly unusual but not unheard of.
A relative of one of the victims said that the family was alerted via inReach at 5 p.m. that the pair had set up camp for the night.
“They were checking in every night,” one relative reported. They were not in the process of setting up camp or travelling at night when the incident occurred.
Banff’s notorious “Boss” grizzly it boldly charges locals, prompting renewed calls to cut down town fruit trees.
Titchener noted that bears are currently in hyperphagia, a state of increased appetite common among Its as they get ready to enter hibernation for the winter. Bears are undoubtedly hungry, notwithstanding Titchener’s assertion that there is no correlation between this period and an increase in bear assaults on humans.
Titchener added that the animals were still digging up root systems and eating any grasses and berries they could find in order to put on weight before retreating to their dens.
This season is still in full swing across the province, according to Titchener, even if some it start dening around the middle of October.
For the past 14 years, Merle Fox and his wife Laurie have run Sunset Guiding and Outfitting, a guide service located west of Sundre. Fox has estimated that it would take three hours to ride west from the site of the attack to reach his tent.
“Well, I hate to say it, but I wasn’t really surprised,” Fox stated after hearing about the attack.
In other words, “bears are hungry at this time of the year and there are no berries or anything out there for them this year.”
Fox claimed that a late spring frost had frozen off the berry buds, leaving the bears short on one of their primary food sources. When food is scarce, grizzly bears will switch to meat sources like deer, young elk, or wild horses, he said.
As one witness put it, “I think that’s probably why these two people were attacked, is that was hungry and he saw them as an easy target.”
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Fox claimed that he and his guides frequently travel into the bush armed because, despite his knowledge, he still gets worried about the possibility of running into them.
After taking a group selfie with a mother and her pup in Jasper National Park, the bears were relocated.
According to him, the place of the attack is inaccessible by anything other than foot or horseback due to the steep cliffs that make up the landscape there.
According to Titchener, “highly unusual” for the bear to be present when the Parks Canada reaction team arrived on the scene, especially if the attack was defensive.
She explained that after a bear attack, the bear typically leaves the area.
“So of course that is concerning, and I’m not sure what was going on there,” the speaker said, “but of course those details will come out as they do the investigation.”
According to Titchener, if this is acting violently towards Parks Canada rescuers, it may be killed on the spot.
They had to kill it to have any chance of reaching the people. The time had come, but it was too late.
Titchener emphasised the need of hikers and outdoor enthusiasts reviewing bear safety measures.
She said that the best approach to avoid a bear attack is to travel in a group, make noise to alert the animals, and bring bear spray.
Titchener advises that hikers abandon the area immediately if they encounter bear signs such as scat, diggings, claw marks, or tracks, or if they come across a dead animal or circling birds.
Titchener advised visitors to keep their group together and use it spray in the event of an encounter with a bear. To better understand bear behaviours and identify whether this is acting defensively or predatorily, she recommended attending a its safety course.
Parks Canada has issued a closure order until further notice for the vicinity of the region where the couple was attacked, which includes the Red Deer and Panther valleys, from Snow Creek Summit east to the National Park boundary, and north to Shale Pass.
